ASHGABAT: The Darvaza gas crater, also known as ‘The Door to Hell’ and ‘TheCrater of Fire’, is a terrifying man-made symbol of nightmare.
It’s located in the Karakum Desert of Turkmenistan.
“Man-made natural phenomenon” might sound like a contradiction, but hear usout.
[image: Turkmenistan door to hell]
As explained in a new video from YouTube channel SciShow, in 1971 Sovietscientists began explored the Karakum desert search of oil and gas.
No one really knows what followed, there have been no official publicreports on the matter, but it is currently thought that the enthusiasticscientists, having found oil and gas, began to drill immediately.
[image: Turkmenistan door to hell]
They had stumbled on a cavern and created a sinkhole more than 60 metres indiameter and 20 metres deep.
[image: Turkmenistan door to hell]
This released a lot of methane, which the scientists presumably decided toburn off, thinking it would only take a few weeks.
It is still alight to this day, and has a terrible eggy smell because ofthe hydrogen sulphide in the ground.